Presentation of the Fondation Jérôme Lejeune, Jean-Marie Le Méné.

Presentation of the Fondation Jérôme Lejeune by its President, Mr Jean-Marie Le Méné. The Fondation Jérôme Lejeune is about a daily step forward to advance research and to accompany and care for patients. It is also a voice committed to defending those most vulnerable.

In 1959, Professor Jérôme Lejeune, doctor and researcher, discovered the cause of Down syndrome (trisomy 21). Subsequently, the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation, which was given public interest status in 1996, has been working for individuals affected by genetic intelligence disorders (Down syndrome, Williams-Beuren syndrome, fragile X syndrome, “cri du chat” syndrome, other trisomies, monosomies and unexplained intellectual disability…) At the service of affected individuals and their families, the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation is driven by three objectives: Research, Care, Advocacy. It implements and supports research programmes designed to develop treatments for Down syndrome (trisomy 21) and other intellectual disabilities of genetic origin.

The Jérôme Lejeune Foundation, France’s number one funder for research in genetic intelligence disorders, develops and funds programmes in France and abroad. It created and funded the Jérôme Lejeune Institute, a centre for specialised medical and paramedical consultations; it defends life and patients’ dignity. Because it defends life, the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation is highly vigilant about bioethical issues: in a context in which ever-accelerating scientific progress and ideological pressure pose fundamental questions for society, the Foundation provides its scientific expertise together with its ethical values. – See more here.